A Hybrid Rose
by Loresta Dalron
Summary: Kagome's science fair project reveals something to Inu-Yasha that he had never known about himself. REPOSTED! sorry about the first blob it's been worked out now!


Hybrid Rose

Author's Note: This is a fan fiction I wrote a long time ago. I don't have anyone to help me edit so I'm sorry if it's bad. If you would be willing to edit it I would greatly appreciate your help. Just email me jadiaythegold@aol.com 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha and company!!! Which really sucks! Although my friend had Miroku tied up in her bedroom for a while after he groped her during the writing of a fan fiction. Also, any similarities between this piece and the work of another are completely coincidental and I apologize if it offends you. 

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Inu-Yasha had seen Kagome slipping through the well. She had come back early and did not stop to tell him. He had watched her dash to the village and into Kaede's hut. There had been three small crates on her back, where the giant bag usually rested. He followed her to Kaede's hut and sneaking under the window he could just hear the end of conversation.

"Thank you so much Kaede-san! I'll go down to the creek right now."

"It is no problem Kagome. I hope your flowers bloom well."

"So do I Kaede-san. I will see you this afternoon, and thank you."

Kagome left the hut, and ran past him into the village. She was heading towards a farmer's home, the crates still on her back. He listened carefully as she asked the farmer for some stakes and rope. He obliged her and after a bow she headed off towards the creek, which flowed north of the village. 

The hanyou followed her closely, careful to avoid being noticed. He was eager to find out what would drive the girl to come back early, and simply ignore him. 

*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*

Kagome knelt at the creek side, she had opened the crates and he saw three flower bushes standing there, with their roots wrapped in cheesecloth. 

"They're roses Inu-Yasha and you don't have to follow me so closely. If you have questions just ask." She was digging a hole about four feet from the water, her hands were covered in soil and she seemed happy.

"Feh! I just want to know why you didn't tell me you came back early. You're wasting time here girl. We should be looking for shards!" He growled, but curiosity was getting the best of him and he edged closer to examine the flowers. 

"We will Inu-Yasha. But I have school too. This is part of science project I've been working on for about two years now." Her voice had the touch of controlled anger, as if she was afraid her mood would affect the work she was doing.

"Why do you need to do this here? Do it in your own time!"

"You don't even know what I'm doing!"

"You're planting these roses."

"It's more than that. It's something special."

"Well then what is it?" he sat down and glared at her. She turned to face him and glared back. Kagome's eyes moved towards the roses and she looked at them lovingly.  Her hands carefully unwrapped the cheesecloth of one of the plants, then spreading it's roots she placed it in the reach earth. Inu-Yasha could see that there were no buds on the plant and the leaves were slightly wilted, as if they did not have the energy or desire to reach their full bloom..

"It's a hybrid. My science project was to create a hybrid rose. I found two roses that were so different that one would believe they could never create something beautiful together. I took the pollen from one. This one," and her hand brushed the petals of one of the flower bushes. It was large, with oddly shaped petals, it's color was almost a brownish cream, with darker lines coming out from the base of the petal. The stems were heavy with sharp thorns along the main stem, while the individual flower stems, which were long and curved, bore no thorns at all. There was only soft green supporting the large buds.  It was almost hideous, but at the same time it was alluring with its wild characteristics. "And I pollinated this little one here and I hope that it all turns out alright in the end."

"Feh." He looked the other rose that was blooming. The color is what caught his attention first. They were gold like sunlight, with the very base of each petal a deep red, the color of his tunic. The petals seemed out of place. Beautiful, but the red base would make it an outcast in a garden. The flowers were small with only a few large petals and several tiny ones. There were only a few thorns along the shaft, seeking to protect this tiny outcast from those that would taunt it. The leaves were beautifully shaped and very delicate to the touch. 

"This one my mom called Sympathy. It sprang up out of nowhere in her flower garden just after my dad passed away. I thought it was the perfect choice for the mother."

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, caring little for the emotions behind the story, "So you took the two flowers and pollinated them. So what?"

Kagome sighed, for she knew he cared nothing for the reasoning behind her projects other than the hunt for the shards. She glared at the unemotional one. " The following spring I took a flower and stem from each plant. Then I planted them together and they grew into this bush here." She motioned to the smaller bush that had not yet bloomed.

"It's dead. It doesn't have any flowers." The hanyou pointed out. Kagome sighed again.

"No, there was just too much pollution in my world. It didn't have the heart to survive. The others were fading too. So I brought them here. I'm hoping that this soil and the air and sun here are what my roses need." 

Inu-Yasha nodded unconsciously. He was aware of the differences between his time and Kagome's. "Well what will this one look like if it blooms?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping it will be beautiful. Even though all it needs to do is bloom so that I can get an A."

Inu-Yasha grumbled, "Well I'll help you plant these two so that we can keep looking for the shards."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inu-Yasha was in a foul mood. Kagome was away in her world, and there had been no trace of shards in months. Storming along near the creek behind Kaede's village he saw an area near the shore roped off. His mind recalled a time three months ago when he and Kagome had planted roses and placed a rope barrier around them, hoping they would survive. He saw Shippou sitting by the flowers. 

"Inu-Yasha! Look at these roses! Are they the ones Kagome-chan planted?" The little fox demon jump up as the hanyou neared. "They are beautiful. Do you think that Kagome will like them? Look at the one in the middle, it's gorgeous!"

The rose he was referring to stood out brightly among the green foliage of the creek. The flowers were large, but not too large. The petals were a beautiful collection of sizes that fit perfectly together. The long trunk of the bush was a vibrant green, with a few thorns, sharp enough to ward off the unwary, but not so intimidating as to scare off a delicate maiden. His eyes trailed upwards, the stems of the flowers were curved and strong. They reminded him of a certain young woman he knew.  Then there were the colors. The petals were shaped similarly to that of larger of the two parent flowers. There were more delicate curves along the rim of the petal. The colors were bold and strong. The gold of the mother plant had survived to its offspring. The petals all had the bright sunlight as a base color. Then there was red and the cream. The father's brownish cream had lightened several shades when it passed to the offspring, it streaked up the sides of the larger petals like claw marks, on the smaller petals the cream was just a thin rim on the sides. Lastly the deep red, which had made the mother an outcast, had joined with the dark brown of the father to create a deeper, brownish red, like the color of healthy mountain soil. This child was perfect, and it was beautiful.

Shippou jumped on Inu-Yasha's head, "Kagome-chan is supposed to be back today. I'm gonna go wait by the well to tell her that her hybrid bloomed. Hybrid…kinda like you huh Inu-Yasha? Except your ugly." The fox jumped off Inu-Yasha's head and disappeared.  Inu-Yasha just stood there.

"Like me?" He growled. "How are these stupid flowers like me?" Kagome's words came back to him then, from the story of her project. 

_I found two roses that were so different that one would believe they could never create something beautiful together._

"So different…never be able to create…beautiful…" Inu-Yasha sighed; he hated being weak to his emotions. "My parents…so different…" 

_I took the pollen from one. This one…_

The masculine flower, so angry yet with it's own hidden beauty. His father. 

_And I pollinated this little one here _

So rich and beautiful, and yet outcast. His mother. 

Inu-Yasha turned his eyes back to the child rose. A tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it away brusquely, but more came down.  

_…and I hope that it all turns out all right in the end. _

The roses had been able to create something beautiful and wonderful. 

His parents had made him. Staring at the flowers Inu-Yasha knew that  Shippou was only half right. The hybrid felt tears slipping down his cheeks, very slowly. He tried to fight them off, but it would not happen. 

He felt a hand in his. He didn't have to look over to know Kagome was standing there. He tried to pull away; he didn't want her to see him crying like this. 

"They made something beautiful Kagome." He said finally. He felt her head on his shoulder and her nod. 

"Yes Inu-Yasha. Yes they did." And he cried, because he knew she was right. 

_… turns out all right in the end._

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Author's Note: Ok, obviously I know very little about hybrid roses. Heck I know little about roses in general, just remember it's the idea behind the creation of a new flower that is the point here so please don't flame me or give me a hard time about not being scientifically correct. Also, I know Inu-Yasha is uncharacteristic, but it's supposed to be a realization!!! Other than that….THANKS FOR READING!!!


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